Travel can be tiring and uncomfortable. Therefore, regardless of whether a passenger is traveling in an airplane, a train, or bus, a pillow may be used to make the passenger more comfortable and allow them to rest during their journey. For this reason, most passenger carriers have pillows to provide to their passengers. However, it is common for all available pillows and/or blankets to be taken by other passengers. Further, because these pillows and blankets often come in close contact with passengers' faces and cannot be effectively sanitized between each flight, train trip or bus ride, these pillows are often so dirty and unsanitary that many passengers are hesitant to use them. Therefore, there is a need for a product that solves the problem of availability, cleanliness and sanitary integrity of the bedding and pillows that are provided to passengers by the carrier, whether such carrier is an airline, rail carrier, bus, or otherwise.
There are many companies that sell blankets and travel pillows that travelers can pack into their carry-on luggage and these travel blankets and pillows solve the problems of availability and cleanliness. However, packing multiple items takes up valuable luggage space and requires that the traveler pack and unpack these items multiple times. Accordingly, packing a conventional travel pillow is not an effective solution to this problem.
Another potential solution to the problem is for a traveler to pack a separate pillowcase in her carryon luggage. This solution allows the traveler to place a barrier between the pillow and her skin, providing some degree of protection from dirt, dandruff and other surface contaminants, and allows the user to fill the pillowcase with a blanket or soft clothing to act as a pillow in circumstances when none are available. However, cotton pillowcases do not provide sufficient protection against the spread of germs to protect the traveler from infection. Further, this solution requires the traveler to pack and unpack the pillowcase from her carryon luggage multiple times. Therefore, this solution is likewise ineffective at overcoming the problems described above.
Still another potential solution would be for the traveler to remove the contents of a carryon bag and use it as a pillowcase by inserting a carrier's pillow inside. As most carryon bags are made of materials that are impervious to the weather, this solution would likely provide an effective way to prevent the spread both of surface contaminants and of germs. However, this solution is far from ideal, as heavyweight nylon, leather and other fabrics typically used in carryon luggage are not soft and do not provide a comfortable place upon which to rest one's head.
Therefore, there is a need for a product that solves the problem of availability, cleanliness and sanitary integrity of the bedding and pillows that are given to passengers by a carrier, that does not take up valuable luggage space, that does not require that the traveler pack and unpack items multiple times, and that provides the traveler with a comfortable surface upon which to rest her head.